Worth it for the drive-by
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=iv&v=sHQVlAVl7Mc]
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Best Buy knocks up to $140 off of new MacBook Airs, Retina/Pros, start at $949
From 9to5Toys.com:
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This weekend, Best Buy reduces the prices on the just released MacBook line across the board. Retina MacBook Pros start at $2089.99 (above) and the high end drops $140 (available soon).
Meanwhile, the new Airs start at $949 with 4GB of RAM:
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The new MacBook line boasts higher power/more efficient Ivy Bridge CPUS, double the RAM, double speed SATA 3 SSDs, faster USB3 and of course better Retina displays on the Next Gen Pros.
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Toys: $459 iPad 3, iPhone 4S $599, AppleTV $89, 3TB Time Capsule: $425, more
From 9to5Toys.com:
eBay has a lot of Apple products on sale right now at all-time lows.
Get all 100 Atari’s Greatest Hits games for free for the next six hours
As we mentioned yesterday in our usual post about apps and updates, Atari is celebrating its 40th birthday by giving iPhone/iPad owners all 100 in-app purchases for free today. You have six hours. Go!
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Parallels celebrates its birthday by dropping price to $28, giving away iPads and other schwag
From 9to5Toys.com:
From 9am-11am PT, Parallels drops the price of its flagship Parallels 7 desktop virtualization product to just $28 to celebrate its 6th birthday. The price will increase 5% every 2 hours, so obviously you’ll want to jump on this soon. Parallels is the best-selling, most-trusted solution for running Windows applications on your Mac – without rebooting.
It is also nice for running Linux or even another instance of the Mac OS and for $28 why not?
As an added bonus, Parallels is giving away a few ‘party favors’: just by sharing, you’ll have a chance to win an iPad 3, Parallels Mobile, and Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac.
More information is also available at the Parallels Consumer Tech Blog, or by following Parallels Desktop on Facebook and @ParallelsMac on Twitter.
Update: Originally story said 9am ET.
Related articles
- Parallels app is now iPad 3-optimized with iOS 5 compatibility (9to5mac.com)
- Convertible Flip Case For Apple iPad 2 / New iPad w/ $2 credit for $14 + $3 s&h (9to5toys.com)
- HHI Re-Elegant Stand Case for New iPad for $10 + $3 s&h (9to5toys.com)
- Custom Case for iPad 2, New iPad for $40 + free shipping (9to5toys.com)
- KEYDEX Hard Shell Ventilation Case for iPad 2 / New iPad for $6 + free shipping (9to5toys.com)
Apple pushes iOS 6.0 Beta 2 OTA update to developers (Update: Video of spinning gears and changelog)
Not available yet on Apple’s Dev site, developers are pinging us that a 299MB -iPhone4S/322MB iPhone 4 update is available for iOS 6 via OTA update.
“WOW, when you Download and Install 6.0 Beta 2 OTA, the Settings Icon Animates!”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuaDOtjil30]
Apple also updated Xcode 4.5 developer preview 2, Apple TV beta 2 as well.
We will look for interesting changes, but do not be shy at tipping us (tips@9to5mac.com) if y’all find anything interesting.
Update: the OTA got a much more official looking screengrab, and the changelog has been posted to Dev center (below):
[tweet https://twitter.com/markgurman/status/217312366608646146]
iTuneUp Bundle for iTunes: $30, Toast 11: $50, Voila Screencapture tool: $15
From 9to5Toys.com:
StackSocial offers the $30 TuneUp Bundle which offers to “Cleanup your iTunes Music Collection. Automagically.” The TuneUp Bundle (Lifetime License) includes:
• Clean — Accurately fixes mislabeled or missing song information (like “Track 01” or “Unknown Artist”) using cutting-edge waveform recognition
• Cover Art — Scans your entire music collection in seconds and automagically™ fills in missing album artwork
• DeDuper— Intelligently finds and removes duplicate music files from your music library using waveform recognition
• Tuniverse — Delivers music videos, artist bios, concert alerts, social network integration and more
(Stacksocial also offers Toast 11 for $50 and Voila screencapture tool for $15)
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0IHUnmDfmQ]
Arizona’s iStores close up shop as another Apple reseller bites the dust
Apple Stores are an unmitigated success. Unfortunately, that is bad news for those who sold Apple products before the stores came along. Yet another Apple retailer is closing this month, as Arizona’s iStore Owner Steve Walker told patrons on its website.
Walker cites an unfair playing field provided by Apple:
“We had a lot of fun over the years working so closely with the Apple product and loyal Apple product users. Unfortunately, since the introduction of the Apple Corporate Stores in 2001, dealers have continually struggled with fair inventory allocation by Apple along with a horribly uneven playing field in relation to the independent’s ability to service our customers in the same way the Apple Stores are able to provide service. As an example, Apple will swap iPhones, iPads, iPods and oftentimes Macs that are not functioning properly, but do not provide the ability for Independent’s to offer the same level of service. These problems existed even though iStore has consistently met all metrics as measured by Apple to be a distinguished and high-performing Apple Specialist and AppleCare Premium Service Provider. For these reasons and others, I have made the tough choice to close our stores.
The note on the website is pasted below:
To Our Many Valued Customers and Friends,
We have enjoyed assisting you with all your Apple needs over the past 17 years here in Arizona. I feel blessed to have been able to provide for my family while being entangled in all the cool Apple products. Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with some of the most talented Apple people around – those who have helped you with everything from your complex issues to your simple problems or helped you figure out exactly which Mac, iPod or iPad was right for you.
With the gradual opening of what is now 5 corporate Apple Stores here in the Phoenix area and corresponding changes at Apple with their reseller relations, Apple has made it nearly impossible to sustain profitability while providing great customer service. As many of you have experienced (most recently with the 3rd Gen iPad), Apple consistently withholds product from their independent dealers while providing abundantly to their own corporate Apple Stores. For this reason and many others that would take too long to enumerate and, quite frankly, you probably don’t care about, we have chosen to permanently close our stores.
As is the case with all businesses, we have made our fair share of mistakes. We could have done better at many things. If you were ever caught in the crossfire of those situations, I hope you were made whole by us (except the crazy ones like that guy that expected us to give him a refund for a product he purchased at our competitor’s store).
I thank you for your kindness, tolerance, patience, humanity, business and friendship over the years.
Sincerely,
Steve Walker
President
iStore
The question is: Should Apple have some compassion for retailers that have been with Apple for decades? Or is this just part of business?
Related articles
- Apple Store employees getting a little overzealous with Iranian export restrictions, borders on racial profiling [Video] (9to5mac.com)
- Apple finally drops iPad purchase quantity limits at its retail stores, change coming online June 11th (9to5mac.com)
- Did Apple just give every one of its retail employees a $4 raise? (Update: Nope) (9to5mac.com)
Good Deals: Pixelmator is $15 today, $49.99 Parallels (11 Mac app) bundle ends in a few hours
From 9to5toys.com (Twitter, Feed) today:
2011 Apple Design award winning image editor Pixelmator is only $15 today at the Mac App Store. That’s half off and the lowest price we’ve ever seen.
Also, if you are going to put Parallels on your new Mac, MacUpdate has a pretty incredible 11 app bundle for $49.99 (Details). You only have a few hours to hit this one before it expires.
Microsoft launches a tablet in a few hours…
I think Joy of Tech nails it. BigFatSpoiler:
Click through for moving GIF action.
9to5Toys weekend: Free music, AppleTV $90 at Amazon, 4 Mac Bundles and more
A lot of good stuff happening over at 9to5Toys.com this Father’s Day weekend:
Amazon gives you $2 in free MP3s. No tricks, just free music. Go.
Amazon also has dropped the 1080P Apple TV to just $90.98 (Update: now up to $94.86) with free shipping. That’s the lowest price we’ve ever seen it new. Add a LED Sharp 26″ 1080P TV for $189.99 with free pickup at Best Buy. (More HDTV savings)
Best Buy also has the just dropped the prices of MacBook Airs and Pros (previous gen, pictured below) for significant savings up to $375 off and starting at just $739 with free shipping/site to store. Notables:
- MacBook Air MC968LL/A Core i5 1.6GHz 11.6″ 64GB SSD for $739.99
- MacBook Air MC969LL/A Core i5 1.6GHz 11.6″ 128GB SSD for $919.99
- MacBook Air MC965LL/A Core i5 1.7GHz 13.3″ 128GB SSD for $1,048.99
What to put on your new Macs? There are four excellent Mac bundles running and expiring as early as today:
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Lovely renders of next iPhone in white
Martin Hajek managed to fool the Web when his black iPhone mockups were taken for the real thing. Gizmodo is a good sport and now features his work on a white iPhone mockup, which looks pretty darn good to our eyes. The renderings are inspired by leaked photos and video of what most believe to be the next-generation iPhone’s metal back.
If Apple made a 4 port USB 2.0 hub, it would probably look like this…
[slideshow]
…and cost the same $25. Here is a nice accessory to go with your aluminum Keyboard. We have been offered a review unit, but you pretty much know how these work.
Satechi: Premium Aluminum 2.0 4-Port USB Hub
Sleek, portable USB hub allows users to plug in up to four devices to a computer.
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Apple uploads WWDC Keynote to YouTube
For those who love to watch their WWDC keynotes pixelated and in Flash:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Gn4sXgZbBM&feature=plcp
It is interesting that Apple calls it a “Special Event” and not “WWDC Keynote”.
Toys: eBay celebrates Apple product launch by slashing prices on Apple products and accessories
From 9to5Toys.com:
Many solid deals on eBay today, including:
- AppleTV 1080P for $89 (lowest price we’ve seen)
- Unlocked iPhone 4S in black or white for $619
- iPod Nanos, assorted colors: $99
- 64GB iPod touch (current in black or white for $349)
- iPad 2 64GB :$529
- USB Sync Cable USB Charger: $6.99, Apple headphones $7.99
- Smartcovers for $36.99
Related articles
- iPad 2 & iPod touch up to $50 off, Target offering $25 off iPhones on contract (9to5mac.com)
- iHome iP71 Stereo Computer Speakers for iPod/iPhone for $30 + free shipping (9to5toys.com)
- Toys: Amazon drops 5% off the price of the AppleTV 1080P to $94.86 (9to5mac.com)
Project Magenta is Linux-based mobile OS that aims to replicate iOS on generic hardware
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Without getting into too many details, here is what little is known about this Open Source Magenta Project:
Magenta is an implementation of Darwin/BSD on top of the Linux kernel. It is made up of a number of kernel and userland components that work together. It is fully binary compatible with iPhone OS 5.0 (as in, it uses the same binary format).
It runs on ARM 7 Hardware currently, but what is the goal?
The final goal is probably recreating the iPhone OS 1.0 stack. I think this is a pretty feasible goal, considering the fact that there are so many open source libs that can be used to replace the proprietary libs used by Apple. Just as an example:
* CoreGraphics -> Cairo
-> FreeType
-> libpng/jpg
* Celestial -> Various open source media decoding libs.
* UIKit -> Chamelleon
The project does not wish to build a platform that can run Apple’s App Store apps; it appears to just aim at running iOS.
It will be interesting to see where this goes.
[tweet https://twitter.com/chronic/status/211315542026493953]
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LeVar Burton, William Joyce, and J.J. Abrams announced for WWDC lunchtime sessions
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Not too shabby for $1,700.
Nest Thermostat goes on sale at Amazon tomorrow (pre-order now)
We reported last week that the Apple Store would begin carrying the Nest Thermostat developed by “the iPod GodFather” Tony Fadell and a bunch of former Apple employees. Just a quick note: You can also pick up one at Amazon for a buck less.
Amazon drops 5% off Apple TV 1080P to $94.86
From 9to5Toys.com:
Amazon today dropped the price of the AppleTVto $94.86 – that’s the first discount we’ve seen on a new 1080P version of Apple’s TV product.
This latest-generation Apple TV displays 1080p widescreen video and features Netflix, YouTube, Vimeo, and Flickr integration, Airplay support, 802.11n wireless, Ethernet, HDMI video output, USB connectivity, and more. A 1-year Apple warranty applies.
Incredible vjay iPad video mixing app goes live
[slideshow]
Algoriddim released its highly anticipated Vjay app for iPad [iTunes $9.99] today following up on the popular Djay app.
As of this writing, every review is 5 stars. The downside is that it does not work on the original iPad.
MacUpdate Bundle: Parallels 7, BusyCal, Screenflow, Civ V, lots more, 11 Mac Apps: $49.99
From 9to5Toys.com:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdv0A5J0vy0]
MacUpdate has one of the better bundles we’ve seen on a wide-ranging set of Mac software. If you are like us and getting a new MacBook next week, you can load it up with software: You are getting a solid deal with the Parallels 7 headliner ($30 off retail), but then you get some great apps up and down the lineup basically for free including:
1) Parallels Desktop 7 ($79.99)
2) BusyCal ($49.99) (first 10,000 bundles)
3) ScreenFlow 3 ($99.00)
4) Civilization V ($39.99) Gods & Kings expansion pack for just $20
5) Jaksta ($49.95)
6) Espionage 3 ($19.99)
7) Attachment Tamer 3 ($14.99)
8) Speed Download 5 ($25.00)
9) KeyCue 6 ($28)
10) A Better Finder Rename 9 ($19.95)
11) My Living Desktop 5 ($29.95)
The total value is $456.80 — MacUpdate is $49.99, as always.
Full release follows:
Decidedly un-exciting new 13-inch MacBook Pro spec sheet leaks?
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A Weiphone forum member shows a purported new MacBook Pro spec sheet ripped right from a unit. The notables are Intel HD 4000 video, USB 3.0, and a faster 1600MHz DDR3 RAM.
Perhaps more notable is the same .95-inch thickness (in fact it has the exact same dimensions as the current 13-inch MacBook Pro), optical drive, and sad 1,280-by-800 display that is not even as dense as the 2010 13-inch MacBook Air’s display.
This base model (if this is indeed real) is not going to be on our shopping list. Do you know what is?
Update: If this is indeed true, this base model MBP would be running a Intel® Core™ i5-3210M Processor (3M Cache, up to 3.10 GHz),